Greece Education

Greece was inhabited as early as the Paleolithic period and by 3000 BC had become home, in the Cycladic Islands, to a culture whose art remains among the most evocative in world history. In the second millennium BC, the island of Crete nurtured the maritime empire of the Minoans, whose trade reached from Egypt to Sicily. The Minoans were supplanted by the Mycenaeans of the Greek mainland, who spoke a dialect of ancient Greek. During the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires (1st-19th centuries), Greece's ethnic composition became more diverse. Since independence in 1830 and an exchange of populations with Turkey in 1923, Greece has forged a national state which claims roots reaching back 3,000 years. The Greek language dates back at least 3,500 years, and modern Greek preserves many elements of its classical predecessor.
Greek education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 15. English language study is compulsory from 4th grade through high school. University education, including books, is also free, contingent upon the student's ability to meet stiff entrance requirements.
Overall responsibility for education rests with the Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs. Private primary and secondary schools are under the authority of the Ministry of National Education. Control is mainly exercised in matters of curriculum and competence of teaching staff, as well as financial control in connection with fee collection and increases in fees. The Greek constitution does not permit the operation of private universities in Greece. Private colleges and universities (mostly foreign), however, do have campuses in Greece in spite of the fact that their degrees are not recognized by the Greek state.
A high percentage of the student population seeks higher education. About 295,000 students are registered at Greek universities, and 15% of the population currently holds a university degree. Entrance to a university is determined by state-administered exams, the candidate's grade-point average from high school, and his/her priority choices of major. About three in four candidates gain admission to Greek universities and/or technical educational institutions.

 

Greece: Geographic coordinates	39 00 N, 22 00 E
Greece: Population growth rate	0.21%
Greece: Birth rate	9.83 births/1,000 population
Greece: Death rate	9.73 deaths/1,000 population
Greece: People living with HIV/AIDS	8,000
Greece: Independence	1829
Greece: National holiday	Independence Day, 25 March
Greece: Constitution	11 June 1975
Greece: GDP	purchasing power parity - $181.9 billion
Greece: GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $17,200
Greece: Electricity - consumption	43.343 billion kWh
Greece: Exports	$15.8 billion manufactured goods, food and beverages, petroleum products
Greece: Imports	$33.9 billion manufactured goods, foodstuffs, fuels, chemicals
Greece: Telephones	5.431 million
Greece: Mobile cellular	937,700
Greece: Radio broadcast stations	AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4
Greece: Radios	5.02 million
Greece: Television broadcast stations	36
Greece: Televisions	2.54 million
Greece: Internet country code	.gr
Greece: Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	27
Greece: Internet users	1.33 million
Greece: Railways	2,571 km
Greece: Highways	117,000 km
Greece: Waterways	80 km
Greece: Pipelines	crude oil 26 km; petroleum products 547 km
Greece: Ports and harbors	Alexandroupolis, Elefsis, Irakleion (Crete), Kavala, Kerkyra, Chalkis, Igoumenitsa, Lavrion, Patrai, Peiraiefs (Piraeus), Thessaloniki, Volos
Greece: Merchant marine	780 ships
Greece: Airports	81
Greece: Heliports	2
Greece: Military branches	Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force, National Guard, Police
Greece: Military expenditures	$6.12 billion

Universities I Colleges I Schools I Private Training I English Schools